Urban Assets was asked to help determine and implement best land use opportunities for approximately 47 acres of undeveloped property adjacent to Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison and the Yahara Hills Golf Course on Madison's southeast side.

Outcome: A preliminary property assessment and conceptual master plan completed in 2015 proposed a walkable destination entertainment district that includes a hotel, conference center, retail, casino, DeJope heritage center and regional sports complex. Urban Assets is now working with the City of Madison and other stakeholders to build partnerships that will help realize this vision, while managing the development of the final master plan, feasibility studies and entitlements for the first phase of development.

Madison College South Campus Initiative

As Madison College began the process of securing the location of a new, expanded campus facility in South Madison early in 2017, the college engaged Urban Assets to create and lead a community engagement effort that would collect input from South Madison community members and key stakeholders on the programming within and design of a new campus. The process included the creation and maintenance of an Advisory Council, the creation and distribution of a community survey, and the completion of a series of focus groups, individual interviews, and town hall meetings.

Outcome: Soon after beginning to create the outreach strategy for this engagement process, a major development in the acquisition of a new site significantly accelerated the project timeline. Urban Assets used this opportunity to create an intensive period of community outreach during the summer of 2017 that built awareness of the South Campus initiative and involvement by the South Madison community. Urban Assets analyzed the data collected from over 600 survey responses, six focus groups, 23 interviews, and four community meetings to share key recommendations with Madison College leadership and District Board as they move forward with this important project.

City of Madison Park and Open Space Plan 2018-2022 Update

The City of Madison engaged Urban Assets to facilitate community engagement for the 2018-2022 update to the Park and Open Space Plan from January-June 2017. The goal for the process was to generate extensive engagement by the Madison community to gather emerging trends, interests, concerns and core values related to the park system. Urban Assets worked closely with Parks Division staff to develop a comprehensive engagement strategy, design outreach materials, and craft creative facilitation plans for five community visioning sessions and three theme-focused events.

Outcome: Urban Assets collected valuable community input at five visioning sessions held throughout Madison, and used this input to develop three theme-focused events that further explored key topics of community interest. These included a panel discussion on climate change impacts in the parks; a master planning workshop for kids led by Hip Hop Architect Michael Ford; and a family event with activities focused on connecting kids to nature. Urban Assets produced a final report on the public engagement process, with results that will be incorporated into the Park and Open Space Plan 2018-2022 update.

Monroe Street Reconstruction

Urban Assets implemented a fifteen-month engagement plan for the 1.7-mile Monroe Street reconstruction planning process that utilized a variety of techniques and paved the way for successful approval of the final street design in fall 2017. Due to the street’s status as an arterial roadway and primary connector between Downtown Madison and areas to the south and west, the planning process anticipated major impacts to public transit routes, local businesses, neighborhood residents, commuters and institutions including the UW-Madison. Urban Assets worked closely with City staff, residents, stakeholder groups and the local Alder to generate community priorities, goals and concerns regarding the reconstruction, develop local capacity to weigh alternatives, and build buy-in on the final plans.

Outcome: Urban Assets organized an "Engagement Resource Team" of nine stakeholder group representatives that met monthly to enhance the engagement process and provide a sounding board for City staff. Urban Assets also facilitated twelve public meetings, workshops and focus groups involving hundreds of Madison residents; designed educational outreach materials; and developed an online community survey that generated over 2,700 responses. The two-stage approval process for the future cross section and street design was successful, and construction will begin in spring 2017.

Movin' Out Mixed-Use Housing at 2230 West Broadway

Urban Assets was hired to assist Mirus Parners Inc. with the neighborhood and city approvals for a new affordable housing development in partnership with Movin’ Out, which provides affordable housing solutions for people with disabilities.

Outcome: Urban Assets, facing robust community interest, worked to ensure the development was approved by the City of Madison Plan Commission and by the Urban Design Commission.The proposed project will include 48 new 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments and 2,800 sq. ft. of commercial space on the ground floor.

Jenifer Street Reconstruction

Urban Assets was hired by the Marquette Neighborhood Association (MNA) to facilitate a neighborhood engagement process for the four-block reconstruction of Jenifer Street from October-December 2015. The process was designed to build on public outreach done by the City of Madison earlier in the year and to allow the reconstruction to move forward in 2016 by addressing top neighborhood concerns and goals. Working with MNA and the City, Urban Assets educated residents about the benefits and tradeoffs of traffic calming opportunities; gathered input on values and goals; and used this input to inform recommendations. Engagement tools utilized included an online neighborhood survey, two workshop-style public meetings, and on-street activities that engaged residents in hands-on learning and discussion.

Outcome: Urban Assets produced a final report for the MNA that summarized the engagement process, results, key neighborhood concerns, and recommendations for moving forward. By providing additional opportunities for residents to discuss questions, concerns and ideas, the process allowed neighbors to develop a better understanding of the opportunities and limitations of project as a whole. The reconstruction moved forward successfully in 2016.

8Twenty Park Affordable Housing Development

Urban Assets was hired to assist developer J.T. Klein Company with the neighborhood and city approvals for a new affordable housing development near downtown Madison.

Outcome: Urban Assets successfully guided 8Twenty Park through the City of Madison's approvals process to become the first affordable housing development planned for downtown Madison since 2012. The development, currently under construction, will include 95 units of housing, 80% of which will be affordable. It will leverage existing transit and health care services in the immediate neighborhood, and will allow residents to live within walking distance of a variety of recreation and grocery options along one of Madison's top corridors.

Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) New Facility

Urban Assets aimed to develop a new home for DAIS that would be able to meet the demand for services and improve organizational efficiency. Urban Assets managed this project from concept through completion, including working with DAIS to establish a core project leadership structure; conducting stakeholder outreach; developing RFPs for design and construction; and coordination of project development.

Outcome: With the help of Urban Assets, DAIS moved into a new, state-of-the-art public facility at 2102 Fordem Avenue in 2014. Development of the new 35,175-square-foot facility involved renovating a portion of the existing building and creating a two-story addition. The new facility houses all of the organization's services, including education, programming, legal advocacy, and a 56-bed emergency domestic abuse shelter.